


One Against the World

by ilsafausts (phoenix_cry)



Category: Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff without Plot, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, One Shot, Saving the World, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, You can read this as Ethan and Ilsa just being good friends, but probably not, i tried to to keep it canon, mission impossible fallout, mission impossible rogue nation, or not if you prefer, possible spoilers for Fallout, there is not enough Ilsa fic out there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 19:38:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15177866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_cry/pseuds/ilsafausts
Summary: Another Impossible Mission accomplished, with the team alive to tell the tale - as well as getting to enjoy five minutes of reprieve.orSleep deprivation and the adrenaline crash make for a very tired IMF team.





	One Against the World

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to creativepromptsforwriting over at tumblr for the idea:
> 
> Prompt #348 -  
> "They were not supposed to be alive - but here they were, living and breathing."
> 
>  
> 
> And thanks to my Rebecca Cult fam for cheering me on! Thanks, fam! <3

They were not supposed to be alive – but here they were, living and breathing.

The last couple of weeks – had it really been weeks, she wondered? – had been gruesome. More so than usual, seeing as the excitement in her life never really died down at all.

Choosing a career in spy craft would do that to a person’s life. From motorbike and car chases in Paris, to Helicopter chases in Norway, and a looming nuclear threat – it certainly never got boring, especially when you had Ethan Hunt and his ragtag crew of IMF buddies to keep you company.

The thought made her divert her attention away from the breathtaking view of the Norwegian fjords spreading out in front of her. Turning slightly to the left, she could make out the team at the far corner of the dimly lit military barracks they were still staying in. From her perch by the door, she could see and hear Benji gesticulating wildly, while arguing with Luther over the best and most efficient way to do something technical. What specifically they were arguing over, she really had no energy left to even try and decipher right now. She had always preferred the hands-on, real-life experience over the digital, even if she wasn’t too lousy at the latter, either.

Still, watching them interact with each other, tease each other good-naturedly, made her smile, no matter how tired she was. She had really come to like these people, even if she hadn’t thought it possible at first. One person in particular had snuck under her skin faster than anyone else she had ever met, especially in this line of work.

Ethan was seemingly leisurely reclined in his uncomfortable plastic chair, legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his chest. He was watching his friends with a grin resting on his lips and a sparkle shining in his eyes.

As if feeling her eyes on him, he turned his head in her direction, settling his gaze on her with a precision that made goosebumps erupt on the back of her neck.

The goosebumps spread down her back when his grin widened and then softened into a smile.

Murmuring something to his friends, he got his legs under him and stood in one smooth move. Turning, he made his way over to her and she could see Benji and Luther exchange knowing glances behind his back. She chose to ignore them, focusing instead on Ethan, who was in front of her ten seconds later.

“Hey,” he said, voice soft.

“Hi,” Ilsa replied, voice just as soft, not wanting to break the moment that had settled over them ever since their eyes had met a minute ago. “How are you holding up?” She asked, implying having crossed paths with his ex-wife again, or seemingly dead wife for reasons still unknown to her. Then there was the fact that Solomon Lane had escaped custody, resulting in a chase that spanned half the globe. To say they had a right to be tired seemed like an understatement.

He breathed a sigh, right shoulder rising and slumping in a half-shrug. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I think I need another few hours, or days, to process everything that’s happened. You’d think after so many years doing this work, stuff like this would get easier. That you’d get used to it and nothing could surprise you anymore. Guess I was wrong.” He shrugged again, this time using both shoulders, and buried his hands in his pants pockets, while stepping closer to her still. “What about you? You okay?”

Lane had managed to capture her and Benji, and for a few moments, she had made peace with the fact that she was going to die. But then she had thought about everything that still needed to get done, and that letting Lane, of all people, be the one to end her had not sat right with her at all.

So, she had prevailed. She had gotten Benji and herself out of their predicament. And in the end, it had been  _ her _  to end Lane.

“Yes,” she nodded, smiling crookedly. “I’m okay. Except for the fact that I could sleep for three days straight.”

Ethan laughed, the motion making his arm brush against hers. “I can relate, trust me. Maybe we should find a bed to crash in.”

At her raised eyebrow, he grinned and elaborated, “Two separate beds. It’s not like we can both fit in those camp beds anyway.”

“They didn’t splurge on comfort, that’s for sure. But yes, a bed does sound heavenly.”

His hand came to rest on her elbow, halting her barely-started movement towards the sleeping area. Looking up at him questioningly, she saw concern overcome the sparkle in his eyes. “Have you eaten anything yet, Ilsa?”

Taking a moment to try and remember, she furrowed her eyebrows in thought. “I think I had lunch. Yesterday.”

He sighed and his hand left her elbow, settling instead at her waist, arm carefully resting around her frame. Propelling her gently in the direction of the canteen instead, he said, “Food first, then sleep.”

Not even trying to put up a fight, she decided it was wiser to just do what he asked, for once. And it seemed her stomach agreed, because it chose this exact moment to rumble loudly.

Ethan chuckled beside her, the sound making goosebumps erupt again, although this time on her arms.

At this point, she was really starting to get annoyed with her nerve endings.  

They passed by Luther and Benji on their way, and Ethan called out to them, “Guys, food. Let’s go.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Ilsa saw them shrug and get up, wordlessly following behind them.

Only a handful of other people sat around at the six tables spread throughout the canteen. Ethan chose the unoccupied one closest to the exit for them, just like Ilsa would have done. Just like any of them would have.

She sat down on one of the benches on either side of the long table, barely resisting to sigh in relief at being off her feet.

A groan from across from her made her look up, just in time to see Benji plop down onto the other bench, apparently just as glad to be sitting again, as if the short walk from one chair to another had exhausted him beyond measure.

“Can we not do this again for at least another week?” He asked, rubbing a hand across his face.

“What, save the world?” Luther chuckled. “I don’t think your chances of getting next week off look that great, to be honest. Not with our track record.”

Benji just groaned again and declined to answer, his forehead pressed against the cool tabletop.  

“We’re not getting paid enough,” he mumbled a minute later, making Ilsa laugh humorlessly.

“I’m not sure I’m even still employed.”

“Yes, you are,” Ethan said as he rejoined them, setting two trays full of food down in front of them, before sitting down beside her. “If MI6 doesn’t want you, the IMF would love to have you.”

“They have to be dumb to get rid of an agent like you,” Benji agreed, and Luther hummed in agreement.

“Thank you, guys. Truly. I know we didn’t have the best start-“

“No kidding!” Luther grunted.

“-but I think we’ve made it passed all those teething troubles, don’t you think?”

“We sure did. I even forgave you for trying to shoot me,” Benji muttered around a mouthful of grapes.

“You do know by now that I saved your life that day, don’t you?”

“You shot at me!”

“I shot the guy that was trying to kill you, there’s a difference! Besides, if I had been wanting to kill you, you’d be dead.”

Benji gulped. “After actually having had the pleasure to work beside you now, you’re right. You’re a scary good shot. And…really competent at everything else you do, too. It’s actually quite unfair, do you know that? Oh, my goodness!” He exclaimed, forgetting about the toast that was halfway to his mouth. “You’re like Ethan. Only, you know,” he gesticulated at her body wildly, spreading toast crumbs everywhere, “female.”

Ethan and Ilsa shared a silent, knowing and long-suffering glance, before Ethan turned back to Benji. “You’re only half right, buddy. She’s way more competent that I am. I haven’t even begun to repay her for the times she’s saved my ass.”

Bumping his shoulder playfully with hers, she replied, “That’s because you don’t have to.”

“But maybe I want to.”

“Geez, you guys, just get a room!” Benji blurted, making Luther laugh uproariously and Ilsa almost choke on the yogurt she had been slowly eating.

“Thanks for the tip, Benji!” Ethan said calmly, while checking to make sure if Ilsa was going to win the fight against the yogurt stuck in her throat, his hand resting between her shoulder blades, ready to take action if needed.

“I’m fine,” she wheezed, waving her hand at him to signal that she had it under control.

He caught her hand in his own and held it, still rubbing her back. “Yes, you are.”

Ilsa could almost  _ feel _  Benji roll his eyes at them from across the table. “ _ Please. _ ”

She swore she heard Luther giggle.

 

*

 

“What are you gonna do now?” He asked, once they were back in London, back where it had all begun for them two years ago, and she was leaning against another car waiting to carry her to places unknown.

“I don’t know.” She said, the familiarity of those words and this whole situation wrapping around her like a well-worn coat. “We’ve done our part.”

He nodded, another one of his soft smiles gracing his lips, silently acknowledging the familiarity of the situation as well.

It was him who initiated the hug this time, however, and Ilsa welcomed the rare physical intimacy of a simple hug, and treasured it. She put the feeling of safety, of friendship, of possibly something more, into the furthest crack of her heart, where it began to mend the damage all those years of loneliness had left behind.

“You better hurry now,” she whispered, feeling her own breath ghost across the shell of his ear. His arms squeezed her tighter, just for a second, and she smiled as his words found a place in the hollow of her throat. “Good luck.”

More reluctantly than she cared to admit, even to herself, she stepped out of his embrace and into the sleek black car, settling behind the wheel. “You know how to find me,” she stated, after he had closed the door shut behind her. He grinned and nodded, his grin widening when new words found a place between them, carrying a faint scent of hope with them.

“Just don’t wait so long this time.”

 

~fin

**Author's Note:**

> This is obviously not at all what will happen in the movie, but I felt like writing this anyway. 
> 
> If you stopped by and spent a handful of minutes reading this, maybe take another 30 seconds and tell me what you thought? ;) 
> 
> Thanks! Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Have fun watching the movie, once it's finally out there for the world to see! :D


End file.
